CLF Names Jeff Barnum Great Bay-Piscataqua waterkeeper

Saturday

Aug 31, 2013 at 3:15 AM

CONCORD — The Conservation Law Foundation announced today that Jeff Barnum, a longtime advocate for clean water in New England, has been named the new Great Bay-Piscataqua WATERKEEPER, a vital position charged with building a strong local voice for Great Bay and advancing innovative solutions to protect the estuary.

Tom Irwin, vice president and director of CLF New Hampshire, said, “For years, I’ve known Jeff to be extremely knowledgeable about the Great Bay estuary, and a strong and effective advocate for protecting its health. We are thrilled to have him as our Great Bay-Piscataqua WATERKEEPER, and to continue the progress we have made in bringing attention to the issues threatening the estuary and engaging people who care about its future.”

Most recently, Barnum served as president of the Coastal Conservation Association of N.H .(CCA), where he focused on the health of New Hampshire’s estuarine ecosystems. There, he played a leading role in establishing an oyster shell recycling program — collecting oyster shells from area restaurants and the public — to establish new oyster beds in Great Bay for their water quality and habitat benefits.

A longtime recreational fisherman, Barnum said that he has witnessed numerous negative habitat changes such as the loss of eelgrass — a key habitat — in the estuary.

“Great Bay has not been so great of late,” he said. “The litany of adverse conditions that were on the horizon 20 years ago is here and must be collectively addressed now. Continued delay is not going to fix this essential ecosystem.”

Barnum was formerly chair of the board of selectman for the town of New Vineyard, Maine. In addition to his water conservation work, he has engaged in legislative advocacy on forestry practices and transportation issues and was an appointee of Gov. Angus King to Maine’s Advisory Committee on Radioactive Waste. He continues to serve on the boards of Coastal Conservation Association N.H. and Great Bay Trout Unlimited.

Barnum and others in CCA NH are organizing “Piscataqua Oysterpalooza” on Sept. 22 to raise funds for oyster shell recycling and to draw public attention to the plight of Great Bay and the restoration work that lies ahead.

Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), together with the WATERKEEPER Alliance, established the Great Bay-Piscataqua WATERKEEPER in 2012 to protect the Great Bay estuary, one of New England’s most precious natural resources and a water resource facing mounting threats.

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